Barbara is a shareholder at Smith Alling. Her work focuses on all aspects of family law. Prior to attending law school, Barbara spent several years in the contract administration section of a large regional bank handling secured transactions. Barbara was an Associate Editor of the University of Puget Sound (“UPS”) Law Review, and was employed as a legal intern by Smith Alling Lane, P.S. during her second year of law school.She graduated magna cum laude from UPS Law School (now Seattle University Law School). After graduation, Barbara became an Associate at Smith Alling Lane, where she was initially involved in major antitrust litigation involving power plant construction. Barbara served for 10 years as a commissioner pro-tem in the Pierce County Superior Court, and was a Nisqually Tribal Court judge for a year. Barbara serves as a mediator at the Pierce County Center for Dialogue and Resolution and as a pro tem settlement conference judge for the Pierce County Superior Court.

Barbara is a shareholder at Smith Alling. Her work focuses on all aspects of family law. Prior to attending law school, Barbara spent several years in the contract administration section of a large regional bank handling secured transactions. Barbara was an Associate Editor of the University of Puget Sound (“UPS”) Law Review, and was employed as a legal intern by Smith Alling Lane, P.S. during her second year of law school.She graduated magna cum laude from UPS Law School (now Seattle University Law School). After graduation, Barbara became an Associate at Smith Alling Lane, where she was initially involved in major antitrust litigation involving power plant construction. Barbara served for 10 years as a commissioner pro-tem in the Pierce County Superior Court, and was a Nisqually Tribal Court judge for a year. Barbara serves as a mediator at the Pierce County Center for Dialogue and Resolution and as a pro tem settlement conference judge for the Pierce County Superior Court.

Nicole Wood Hermsdorf, Esq., is the founding partner of Hermsdorf Law, LLC in Newburyport, MA. Her practice focuses in all areas of family law including high conflict and uncontested divorces, child custody, alimony and support, modification actions, guardianship and mediation. Prior to starting Hermsdorf Law, LLC, Attorney Hermsdorf was in-house general counsel for Citibank for over eleven years. While at Citibank, Attorney Hermsdorf drafted and negotiated complex documentation involved in the launch of hedge funds, private equity, and mutual funds. She was counsel to Citibank’s largest asset management client at the time with approximately $5.7 trillion assets under management as of 2017. This past experience makes Attorney Hermsdorf experienced and aggressive in litigating and negotiating complex financial matters including business valuations, inherited assets, and the division of the martial estates. Attorney Hermsdorf is licensed to practice in Massachusetts and provides representation in the Probate and Family Courts of Essex, Middlesex, Suffolk, and surrounding counties. She is also a trained mediator in the state of Massachusetts.

Aliette H. Carolan, Esq. is an AV Rated-Preeminent family and matrimonial lawyer. She graduated law school in 2003 and after gaining valuable experience from some of the best family law practitioners in Miami-Dade she struck out on her own in 2009 and became a Florida Supreme Court Family Law Mediator. She is known for her creative approach and solution oriented focus. She has a very high success rate at settling complex marital and family law disputes in pre-suit mediation, initial and/or post judgment actions. Her philosophy is that all parties benefit from first attempting to resolve matters amicably prior to engaging in both financially and emotionally taxing litigation. Should your case require litigation, she will passionately assert and protect your interests. She has been named a Rising Star in 2014 and a Super Lawyer every year from 2015 through 2023 by the reputable, peer-review magazine. She is rated a Superb litigator by Avvo, a client-review and peer-review website. She has also won the “Best Lawyers – Family Law” and “Best Law Firms” distinctions. Ms. Carolan does not discriminate based on gender or sexual orientation. She represents both male and female clients. She is also an active supporter of same-sex equality and has advised same-sex couples and individuals regarding prenuptial agreements, parenting options, parental rights, settlement agreements and step-parent adoptions. Ms. Carolan thoroughly enjoys both the interpersonal satisfaction and the intellectual challenge found in Artificial Reproductive Technologies law. She has successfully negotiated many gestational surrogacy agreements, egg donation, sperm donation and embryo donation agreements, traditional surrogacy agreements and the relevant court proceedings. She advises medical clinics and drafts their consent forms in compliance with current Florida case law and statutes. She was a course developer for the Alternative Dispute Resolution section of the Legal Studies program of World Education University. She is also a published book author (“Just In Case!! Lose Your Heart, Not Your Mind“). She is fluent in Spanish and a frequent guest on news shows discussing a wide range of family law matters, such as children’s issues, reproductive law, divorce, child abductions and has been published or cited in several publications.